tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62866053915887305462024-03-13T14:30:10.089-07:00Mini-Mobile CottageBuilding ( Downsizing to, Prioritizing for, Optimizing in ) A Tiny HouseJeff Hemsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816936399341775250noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286605391588730546.post-36518506788678322892013-08-16T06:50:00.001-07:002013-08-16T06:50:24.294-07:00Results from our search for a quick tiny house moveWe want to pass along the results from our search for a quick tiny house move.<br />
<br />
I was all ready to post on Craigslist but with the great results we received in such a short period of time I decided not to.<br />
<br />
Within 24 hours of announcing that we were looking for a new space to move to we had 4 offers to host us by people we know directly. This was through general word of mouth and email to specific people. Both Jeff and I also posted flyers at our desks (work and school) that were copies of the 2nd blog post we did saying what we were looking for.<br />
<br />
Within another 2 days of the announcement we had another 2 offers that were from friends of friends. One was through Facebook and the other was through word of mouth.<br />
<br />
We first posted about our move on our <a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6286605391588730546#editor/target=post;postID=4201040477079918640;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=2;src=postname">blog</a> on the 6th and had 6 solid offers by the morning of the 9th. When we moved to Seattle we had more offers but we also had surprise media coverage by the neighbor paper where we wanted to live and had months to prepare while we were building. <br />
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You’ll see on the map that the 6 possible spots to move to vary in location from the same neighborhood that we’re in now to up to an hours' drive away from work and school.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZeqclqje4hF-q6Z4Ydvh8lrLhgTu4ASEoQGSw9rB7ntzxT1CN38Ttik1UiZdq0grXVtKaYVUg_VChi4siL_PLP8WqFhKzt6FFpxSGz84G5nSwKMz_59h1Gk_OG9gCm39kLzJ_Xte7lI/s1600/blog+map+housing+offers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZeqclqje4hF-q6Z4Ydvh8lrLhgTu4ASEoQGSw9rB7ntzxT1CN38Ttik1UiZdq0grXVtKaYVUg_VChi4siL_PLP8WqFhKzt6FFpxSGz84G5nSwKMz_59h1Gk_OG9gCm39kLzJ_Xte7lI/s400/blog+map+housing+offers.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
Although we’ve enjoyed living in Ballard these past four years, it’s now changing. Huge apartment buildings with hundreds of units are being built. Older houses are being torn down and three or four units are being built in their place. Some older houses are being saved but two units are being built in their backyard. The roads to the freeway and to downtown were congested before, now they’re worse. So we’re ready for a change in atmosphere… we considered all offers seriously. All six offers had what we needed and we felt very welcome at each location.<br />
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Bainbridge Island was very tempting. To have the experience of commuting by ferry from an island! How many can say they have lived on an island? <br />
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On Capitol Hill we’d be a shorter distance from our work and school locations. Being closer to downtown is very appealing too because we enjoy going to live performances. The location would be very close to my brother and his family. We'd see them more often which would be great.<br />
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I haven’t yet been to Index but I’ve been told that there are some very eccentric people living there. It sounds fun to be surrounded by such interesting people. <br />
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The location in Kent seems to be not quite rural, not quite suburbs and is a great location. Very nice hosts and an open vista between our house and the next one over. <br />
<br />
All 5 of those locations had their pros and cons. Population density and congested roads. Commute time short or longer. Being closer to entertainment and family. <br />
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Then…. we went to the Snohomish location. We really enjoy spending time with the hosts. One of them said, “We have lots in common but we’re different enough that it makes it interesting.” They have 2.5 acres and it’s fairly rural. We’d be a only 3 mile drive to restaurants and the library. We’ll miss walking to the grocery store and restaurants but we’re actually interested in how rural ‘feels’. We’ve built our own house, I garden for most of our food and we have many other self-sufficiency skills. We enjoy quiet, and ‘slower’ will be good for us. <br />
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When Jeff graduates this coming June we’ll be moving again. We’ve both experienced the city and the suburbs but neither of us have experienced rural yet. Living with this couple will be a great way for us to experience it, learn from them, and know if we want rural when we’re ready to buy a place to live and settle down the next time we move. Snohomish it is. Our move date is August 31st.Arlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660999767029085039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286605391588730546.post-58139958854588398662013-08-07T12:13:00.000-07:002013-08-07T12:13:51.146-07:00We're planning a tiny house move<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAuEPg3V8jC02lS0AjwvQnStMvoLN4vBOqQrXcPbIxQPB9D1LaBbOd6T5R_CS_LOpDcjWHWMCttOJ_ZW_Xlb0LbV0VKifU0siOsUjsO4cYmI4b7jP47bh6Za0xRVffj59MY3zsTtRsEQ4/s1600/truck-pulling-house_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAuEPg3V8jC02lS0AjwvQnStMvoLN4vBOqQrXcPbIxQPB9D1LaBbOd6T5R_CS_LOpDcjWHWMCttOJ_ZW_Xlb0LbV0VKifU0siOsUjsO4cYmI4b7jP47bh6Za0xRVffj59MY3zsTtRsEQ4/s400/truck-pulling-house_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Yes,... we've been told that our homeowner friend accepted a job in New Mexico and that the house we live next to will be sold. We need to find a place to move our tiny house by the end of September. The sooner, the better though. <br />
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We're putting out the word that we're looking for a space to move, <br />
but we would appreciate it if you'd try to think of places and would pass along the word as well.<br />
<br />
<u>What we need:</u><br />
- the spot should fit our tiny house (about 24' long, 8' wide and 13'-6" tall) <br />
- the space should be available soon through June 2014<br />
- utility connections within 15 feet of our
house for an outdoor extension cord (preferably 20amps),
<br />
an RV water hose and internet (wi-fi or wire) <br />
- within an hour drive or ferry ride of Seattle<br />
- either urban or rural would be fine<br />
<br />
<u>What would also be nice:</u><br />
- a space equal in size to a one car garage or bedroom where I could do my art projects <br />
(either at your location or a place nearby that I could rent)<br />
- an area for a small vegetable garden or space for a few containers<br />
- washer and dryer privileges once a week<br />
<br />
<u>What you'd get:</u><br />
- two very nice neighbors who are quiet, are willing to house-sit and look after your pets when <br />
you're on vacation, and have a great reference from their current landlord<br />
- monthly income while we live on your property <br />
- the possibility of you owning our tiny house once Jeff graduates in June<br />
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Do you own a residential or light commercial space with enough room for our tiny house?<br />
<br />
Do you have a vacation property that you'd like watched or that you'd like to earn some income on? (Maybe on Bainbridge Island or east of Seattle?)<br />
<br />
Maybe you want to own a well-built, nice looking, tiny house at a fraction of what it would cost to build your own? We've thought about trading it.<br />
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Maybe you always pass a spot that you think would be a great place for a tiny house or you know someone that has a space for us?<br />
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We're great at thinking 'outside the box'. (We live in a tiny house, right?)<br />
We're open to all ideas. What can you think of? :)<br />
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Thanks for your help,<br />
Jeff and Arlene <br />
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<br />Arlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660999767029085039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286605391588730546.post-42010404770799186402013-08-06T18:51:00.000-07:002013-08-16T06:51:34.870-07:00Sure, our house has wheels... but how mobile are we really?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-gFLy0oN_Pdes3f2dGDwq6uJY9gy1t2hv-G6lWE6wwd4CGejOtmq7LwoUAet3u0Lg0CZ0GCPWQfCaiABfvbKTJbeKw1DD3yYKA4F9vSvkewI6Jldy2g2LtjoqstDqSZyVfD_46S3MIk/s1600/front+of+house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-gFLy0oN_Pdes3f2dGDwq6uJY9gy1t2hv-G6lWE6wwd4CGejOtmq7LwoUAet3u0Lg0CZ0GCPWQfCaiABfvbKTJbeKw1DD3yYKA4F9vSvkewI6Jldy2g2LtjoqstDqSZyVfD_46S3MIk/s320/front+of+house.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-gFLy0oN_Pdes3f2dGDwq6uJY9gy1t2hv-G6lWE6wwd4CGejOtmq7LwoUAet3u0Lg0CZ0GCPWQfCaiABfvbKTJbeKw1DD3yYKA4F9vSvkewI6Jldy2g2LtjoqstDqSZyVfD_46S3MIk/s1600/front+of+house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div>
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Recently we starting wondering how easy it would be to move our tiny house to live somewhere else. </div>
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What do we have to do so the move goes smoothly? </div>
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How do we find a new space to rent? </div>
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In what areas would we want to live? </div>
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Urban or rural this time?</div>
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We started thinking about this because the owner of the house where we've been renting tiny house space for almost 4 years is looking for a new job. Not all of the jobs he's applying for are local though. Some jobs are far enough that he'd sell the house we currently live next to, in fact. <br />
We didn't expect to have to move until June 2014 when Jeff graduates and starts working. Until he's done with school, we need to stay in the Seattle area.<br />
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Getting our place ready to move should be easy compared to the many moves we did when living in larger conventional spaces simply because we own a whole lot less 'stuff'. <br />
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Because our trailer is rated to carry 7000 lbs maximum we'll have to box everything up (dishes, clothes, etc) and move our 'stuff' separately. We have trailer skirts that also cover the wheel wells that we can easily remove. We have a wooden fence that surrounds the trailer tongue where we store gardening equipment, our propane tank and bikes that also removes easily.<br />
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I rent a room in an office building for use as an art studio. I planned that workspace so that both tables and metal bookshelves are on wheels so I can configure my space depending on my project needs. Those wheels will make it easy to simply wheel everything to the elevator and out.<br />
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So far, so good, huh? <br />
Where to move though?<br />
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When we were building our house and planning our move, I posted on our blog that we were looking for a space to rent in Seattle. I also asked two members of my family who already lived here to pass along the word and we were also lucky that a writer for our neighborhood paper wrote an article about alternative housing and linked to our blog. <br />
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We happily received 12 offers for a place to live! Rental costs ranged from free farther from Seattle to an unbelievable $800 a month (she said she wanted to pay off her student loans and didn't care that we brought our own house with us). <br />
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Six offers didn't work out because they had enough space, but we couldn't maneuver the house into the space. The two free spaces were great locations but farther than we wanted to commute. Another one was an empty lot surrounded by tall pines but no water or electric service we could figure out. The offer with the high price tag we didn't even consider. That left two offers. We could fit into either space, both are nice couples that we'd like to live near, they live in the same neighborhood... but we connected with one couple more than the other because of many common interests. Jeeps, rock climbing, yoga, organic gardening. <br />
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We feel extremely lucky that we found such great neighbors, new friends, and live in a walkable area where we can grow fresh food in the backyard. <br />
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We met some very nice people while doing our search the last time. If we have to move soon, then I'm sure we'll meet more very nice people. Hopefully, finding a place to move the tiny house will be as easy this time as it was the first time. <br />
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If you have suggestions on how you'd approach a move like this, or have suggestions on where we should / could move, please post a comment. Lots of people are interested in living in a tiny house but how easy will it be for them to find a place to live in it?<br />
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We'll keep you posted on whether we have to move or not...Arlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660999767029085039noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286605391588730546.post-48226482863138449432013-06-21T16:11:00.000-07:002013-06-21T16:11:26.629-07:00Trade for work: one way to get quality details<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span>
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We are frequently asked about some aspect of how we built
the tiny house. Recently someone asked about how we found a door that fit our
exact dimensions (23 ¼” x 70”), and others have asked questions about how we
made our cabinets. </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">The
short answer is that we didn’t find or make the door or cabinets. We did a trade
for work deal (and we think got a great bargain for it) with a woodworker
friend of ours. We traded a MIG welder and some other tools and in exchange <a href="http://www.snyderwoodworking.com/" target="_blank">Mike Snyder</a> crafted our door and the cabinets for our tiny house (pictured).</span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rls3ALYofCY/SuTG4LLisQI/AAAAAAAADE0/VMSJqF01FBU/s1600/thru-living-to-foyer3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rls3ALYofCY/SuTG4LLisQI/AAAAAAAADE0/VMSJqF01FBU/s200/thru-living-to-foyer3.jpg" width="150" /></a>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NNveKi0tHjg/SuTHITrOkfI/AAAAAAAACDY/qkGGMuvFW7k/s1600/kitchen-sink3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NNveKi0tHjg/SuTHITrOkfI/AAAAAAAACDY/qkGGMuvFW7k/s200/kitchen-sink3.jpg" width="150" /></a>
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CVcUt6-vEzI/SuTHRqXOxYI/AAAAAAAACDk/VLDlvL1YmZM/s1600/cabinet-detail1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CVcUt6-vEzI/SuTHRqXOxYI/AAAAAAAACDk/VLDlvL1YmZM/s200/cabinet-detail1.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Actually, Mike was instrumental in terms of guidance and assistance for many aspects of building our home. Many people were. We found that once folks realized that, yes, we were serious about building and living in a tiny house, we had many offers to help us in different way. Scott, Rick, Michael and Kerric helped us build the house, Rick towed us from our initial build space to Carol and Mike's, where we finished it, as well as from California to Seattle, WA. Rick also helped install the windows and Johnathan and Dorothy helped us do finishing work on the interior walls. There were many other folks who loaned us tools, gave us suggestions and helped out in other ways too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Since it was four years ago that we towed the tiny house to Carol and Mike's I decided to email them and find out what Mike has been up to. The clock and table below are examples of his recent work, and you can find more <a href="http://www.snyderwoodworking.com/" target="_blank">here</a>. </span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cPIDua3mfSY/UcSXrutE-XI/AAAAAAAADFo/xmQvnvjpyvs/s1600/IMG_5756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cPIDua3mfSY/UcSXrutE-XI/AAAAAAAADFo/xmQvnvjpyvs/s200/IMG_5756.JPG" width="200" /></a>
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BNCcIbiCMqo/UcSXrwSm6mI/AAAAAAAADFs/OpZgLrkegLo/s1600/IMG_5772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BNCcIbiCMqo/UcSXrwSm6mI/AAAAAAAADFs/OpZgLrkegLo/s200/IMG_5772.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">It's gratifying to see him do what he loves doing. Indeed, part of the motivation for us building and living in a tiny house has been to follow our dreams. We couldn't have done that as easily if we'd been locked into house payments or paying to rent an apartment big enough to hold all the stuff we'd been dragging from place to place. </span> <br />
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After living in the tiny house for nearly four years, we feel that having a aesthetically pleasing space to come home to has made living in tiny house a gratifying experience. We see our friends in the cabinets, the windows and the finish work. Our home is our cozy cabin in the Winter, our breezy cottage in the summer and our retreat from the stresses of day to day work.<br />
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<br />Jeff Hemsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816936399341775250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286605391588730546.post-26942508995630260382012-12-18T10:58:00.001-08:002012-12-18T10:58:11.200-08:00Tiny Trees and Big Wishes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AMQZ5SuaWvo/UNCtwsmWXwI/AAAAAAAADCA/e_glCC3PaJU/s1600/IMG_7259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AMQZ5SuaWvo/UNCtwsmWXwI/AAAAAAAADCA/e_glCC3PaJU/s320/IMG_7259.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Living in a tiny house is fun. Sometimes the constraints of being in a small space make for creative solutions... like our Tiny House Christmas Tree. In the past we've had ornaments on a mobile hanging from the livingroom ceiling and lights strung all around.<br />
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Up here in Seattle it's getting colder (and we even have a bit of snow in the forecast), but we're toasty and comfortable in our tiny space.<br />
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Below is a link to an animation. It is in response to the question: <br />
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What would happen if everybody posted or tweeted a single word on a single day? <br />
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Could it raise awareness? Would it help folks stop, for one minute, even one second, and consider how the world could be different?<br />
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Of course, there are a billion reasons why we might not all post / tweet the same word on the same day. <br />
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But what if?<br />
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Wishing all of you Happy Holidays and a happy, healthy and peacefilled New Year.<br />
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<br />Jeff Hemsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816936399341775250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286605391588730546.post-6778813290138876922012-11-16T14:56:00.000-08:002012-11-16T14:56:18.499-08:00Living large in a tiny house<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Jn0WyBI6QEE/UKZsRAAhKXI/AAAAAAAADAI/_b4TKGXAoYo/s1600/NetworkFilmStrip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="77" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Jn0WyBI6QEE/UKZsRAAhKXI/AAAAAAAADAI/_b4TKGXAoYo/s400/NetworkFilmStrip.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Part of the point of building a tiny house has been for us to have affordable housing while I have been a PhD student at the University of Washington. But there have been unexpected perks. One of which is focus. A by product of down-sizing is that I have less stuff to distract me, which has meant that I have more focus that I can apply to things that are important to me. One of which has been my education. So what do I study? Networks.<br />
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A <a href="http://mobilecottage.blogspot.com/2010/05/analysis-of-tiny-house-blog-network.html" target="_blank">post </a>I did on this blog a while ago provided a very brief network analysis of the tiny house blog network. More recently I have been working in the <a href="http://somelab.net/" target="_blank">SOcial MEdia Lab</a> at the <a href="http://ischool.uw.edu/" target="_blank">University of Washington's iSchoo</a>l to visualize Twitter retweet networks. Retweet networks are networks that arise out of the data traces that are left when one person retweets another person. By visualizing these networks researchers can better understand human communication on these new social platforms - like Twitter.<br />
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If you have ever taken a basic statistics class you can imagine how this might work. Statisticians have long encouraged students to make plots of their data as a tool for helping them make sense out of their data. The very process of making a visualization requires interacting with the data in ways that can help students better understand what is in the data. Of course, without understanding histograms and distributions the plot to the left isn't going to make much sense, but that is part of the learning process. And it is exactly what I have been doing for the last few years: learning about networks.<br />
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I wrote a blog <a href="http://somelab.net/2012/07/visualization-of-a-twitter-retweet-network-art-or-useful-data-visualization/" target="_blank">post </a>recently about whether or not network graphs were art or useful data visualization. In that post I briefly talk about some of the things that can be gleaned from inspecting a network plot. I also just wrote a <a href="http://somelab.net/2012/11/network-vizualization-and-meaning-shifting-due-to-algorithm-settings/" target="_blank">post </a>about some of the challenges of interpreting network visualizations. But I know that I am also drawn to the aesthetic appeal of these graphics. My most recent effort has been to animate a retweet network over time to show the dynamic nature of these types of networks. I have embedded it here just for fun.<br />
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<br />Jeff Hemsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816936399341775250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286605391588730546.post-48941044994062366602012-08-19T18:02:00.000-07:002012-08-29T18:19:14.027-07:00Here is a more detailed follow up post...<br />
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Yes, we both still live happily together in the house. It's been almost 3 years and things are still going well.<br />
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People have asked about us about the lack of space and if it causes us to get on each others nerves. We really enjoy each others company so the answer is no. We're at work/school as much as anyone else and we also meet with friends and go places. Our joke when someone asks about privacy: When we need privacy, we simply turn around so that we don't see the other person. I think that you need a sense of adventure and humor to live in a place this small after having always lived in larger places. We are also aware that most of the world's population lives smaller than Americans do. Some people would think our place is big for only 2 people!<br />
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What we've changed:<br />
Our 2 person sized antique settee (it fit through the door!) was donated to a thrift store and we now have sectional seating. This seating also serves as a guest bed for the occasional out of town visitor. We've had 3 overnight visitors so far, obviously not on the same weekend.<br />
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We haven't invited many people over for dinner since we've lived in this house though, and we kind of miss that, so we're thinking of who and when. We have added a few kitchen appliances since we moved in. We started out with a refrigerator, stove top, juicer, dehydrator and a microwave. I've added a blender and a slow cooker. We're ready for anything now.<br />
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Last years garden was great and this year's is shaping up too! Funny thing what some fertilizer can do!! We're growing beets, carrots, chard, kale, spinach, corn (I didn't know that many ears grow on each stalk), peas, green beans, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, pumpkins, cucumbers, onions, potatoes and wild flowers. Recently we were out there weeding, hand tilling in the compost we've made from our kitchen scraps and yard cuttings and planting seeds. It's looking great!<br />
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We've painted the house interior to off-white so that it's brighter inside during Seattle's (many, many) gloomy, grey months. I'm so glad that we originally installed the operable skylight. In the winter it adds lots of light and in the summer it keep the place cool inside with the aid of opening the sleeping loft window.<br />
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This past summer we also painted the house exterior a light brown. The redwood exterior didn't stand up well to the Seattle elements and needed to be better protected. We gave up on the clear coating that we've redone 2 years in a row. We'll add a window trim color this summer.<br />
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Last weekend we changed our desk setup. We had thought that we'd both need desk space so along one wall of the 'living room' we had a desktop and two chairs. I never used the desk and Jeff has found that a standing desk works better for him. We took out the desktop and nearby kitchen counter, cut the long desktop at a 45 degree angle and installed it as the kitchen counter replacement. Jeff loves it and now we have room for an arm chair to sit and read in between the front door and heater which makes me happier.<br />
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It snowed a couple of times in Seattle last winter but inside our house it was a 65-70 degrees though outside was as low as 28 degrees. We used the Dickenson wall mounted boat heater in the evenings if we needed more heat, but used a wall mounted, low energy usage, <a href="http://www.eheat.com/blog/2012/safe-cost-saving-wall-mounted-space-heater/">Envi convection heater</a> convection heater at other times. It's safe to leave on while we're gone so the interior never got chilly.<br />
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We've talked about replacing the outside vent on the front of the house with a stained glass window that opens. We either need to find the right size or one of us needs to take a class and make one. We currently have a fan connected to that vent that goes from inside to outside intended to remove the warm air in summer time. We've used it only once since the skylight seems to do a better job and the fan is noisier than we'd like.<br />
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We'll try to post more frequently!<br />
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Jeff & Arlene <br />
<br />Jeff Hemsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816936399341775250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286605391588730546.post-57429388063136866062012-08-12T16:40:00.000-07:002012-08-13T17:43:23.374-07:00Quick Update on a Warm Seattle Day<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NOjjvdVCpRY/Ty14H9Dg43I/AAAAAAAAC14/OLP1X3lvUD8/s1600/2012SnowDayTinyHouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NOjjvdVCpRY/Ty14H9Dg43I/AAAAAAAAC14/OLP1X3lvUD8/s320/2012SnowDayTinyHouse.jpg" width="320" /></a>Well, we haven't posted anything in quite a while. Busy life up here, but people often ask for an update. We get questions like, "are you still living in the tiny house?", and sometimes from skeptics, "so, uh, how is it, living in there?"Well, we still love it. We built it and it means something to us in addition to being a good place to live. <br />
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Perhaps this isn't the best picture for summer, but when the snow piled up in January, we stayed cozy inside and spent about $50 for heating and hot water all winter. Our life is simpler and we see things differently than we did before started this journey in 2009. No, we probably won't live in it forever, but certainly for a few more years.<br />
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<br />Jeff Hemsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816936399341775250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286605391588730546.post-70420645458355557532010-07-27T20:30:00.000-07:002010-07-27T20:30:00.164-07:00An Update on the GardenThis being only my second attempt at gardening, I think that it's going quite well. In a previous post on gardening I listed what I was going to plant. Almost everything grew like weeds. <br /><br />The photos were taken on May 25 and June 27.<br /><br /><div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jeff.hemsley/MiniMobileCottage#5498781819420652002"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_8n4vJOFNHrk/TE-Y7lPxseI/AAAAAAAACmE/YENMeHv51_A/s200/garden%20may%2025%202010%20009.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jeff.hemsley/MiniMobileCottage#5498780509071757618"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8n4vJOFNHrk/TE-XvT0QUTI/AAAAAAAACl8/FMSoKgZLjXE/s200/garden%20june%2027%202010%20001%20(23).jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></div><br />I did have a couple of problems though. Bell pepper, corn and cucumber seeds never sprouted. And I bought bell pepper and basil plants, but the things aren't growing, though the pepper plants are creating vegetables. <br /><br />I did see a few slugs when I first planted but stopped watering the plants after the sun went down. The little creatures then went elsewhere.<br /><br />For fertilizer I've been using a liquid concentrate made from seaweed and rabbit poo (thanks to our backyard rabbit Bluebell, whom I gladly share vegetables with).<br /><br />I had two surprises this year. The first is that if you let microgreens grow, they don't stay so micro. (Duh.) I found this out because I planted too much lettuce, microgreens and chard. We couldn't eat it, or use it in smoothies, fast enough. I've given bags of it to neighbors, Lorraine and Brandon at the gym and the folks at work. <br /><br />The second surprise is that I bought a seed packet containing 'mixed microgreens'. This must mean 'left over seeds; we don't know what they are since we won't list them on the packet'. Since cutting microgreens was more difficult than grabbing some lettuce, I let the stuff grow. We were happily surprised with unplanned broccoli rabe, bok choy, beets and radishes. <br /><br />The only plants that died were the mail order heirloom tomatoes. Those tomatoes run $6 to $8 lb in the store so I was excited about these. They arrived wilted, small and really quite sad looking. I did what the instructions suggested to revive them, but they didn't make it. I replaced them with regular local plants and next year will only buy locally.<br /><br />What I've learned so far:<br /><br />Plant less lettuce. It seems to grow from seed easily and very quickly.<br /><br />Do more research on what to plant when. As I plant new things I'm paying more attention to the season it grows best in. My mache' lettuce wilts in the heat but the greenleaf and redleaf lettuce do fine.Arlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660999767029085039noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286605391588730546.post-49792883666614066152010-05-28T07:16:00.000-07:002010-05-28T10:28:32.786-07:00An Analysis of the Tiny House Blog NetworkDo you have a tiny house blog? When you write something, how many people read it? One way to make a guess at how many folks read it is how many folks comment on it. But if 3 people comment on it, dose that mean only 3 people read it? No. Generally, more people read than comment.<br /><br />How about followers? Maybe you have statistics that say 40 or so folks "follow" your blog. So does that mean 40 people read your post? Maybe, maybe not. The number could be smaller since of those 40 followers only a fraction will read every post. But the number could be higher because other bloggers may read your post and write about it (generally linking to your blog or the specific post). This may bring other readers to your site.<br /><br />So lets talk about links. There are two basic kinds of links in the blogosphere. First are the links in blogrolls. These are static, meaning they don't change much. They are also generally strategic - meaning as bloggers we make choices about who we link to (for this post I will not talk about the politics of links, but I might in a future post). The other kind is a citation link. If anyone writes about this post in their blog they will likely follow general blogger etiquette by linking to it. They might say it's all hog-wash, or that it's interesting, but generally most bloggers link to a post that inspires or influences them in their own post.<br /><br />And those links form a network. I used a tool called the <a href="http://www.issuecrawler.net/">Issue Crawler</a> to capture the network generated by blogrolls and citations to make a visualization of the blogs that form what is called a topic network. The topic, is, of course, Tiny Houses. Where are you on the map?<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xSdtOW9Dup0qWLtYv5So0A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_8n4vJOFNHrk/S__epUv6SiI/AAAAAAAACiw/g7Krk6ygpbY/s400/TinyHouseNet_v01.png" /></a><br /><br />So let me tell you what the map means. (Download a large version <a href="http://staff.washington.edu/jhemsley/sna/TinyHouseNet_v01.png">here</a>).<br /><br />First, the map captures the top 50 nodes (blogs) in the Tiny House Issue Network. The size of the node is based on the number of in-links (either from citations or blogrolls). Below I have posted the top 93 sites and the number of in-links that Issue Crawler could find (which may not be every single one). The size and position of the nodes are related to how many in-links that blog has received.<br /><br />If you make money from advertising (Arlene and I do not) than site traffic is important to you and site traffic is, as we say in statistical parlance, positively related to in-links. That just means that more in-links you have, the more traffic you are likely to have (other things being equal).<br /><br />I haven't done a formal analysis of this network, so I don't have much else to say about it for now. I will say that some sites on the map (like Wikipedia) may or may not be relevant to the topic network. We could probably make arguments on either side for including this or that site, or not including them. That would depend on the analysis.<br /><br />So, are you on the top 10 list? Top 93? Issue Crawler only lists and plots sites that have two or more in-links from other sites within the network - so we have a list of 93 blogs and their ranking. Tiny House Blog has a very high number of in-links, so it is central to the map. But some of those links are not from the collection of 93. So the numbers on the map may not match the within-network ranking.<br /><br />But, anyway, here is the Tiny House Issue Network ranking:<br /><br />Actor Rankings (core network and periphery, by page)<br />1 - tinyhouseblog.com - 47<br />2 - tinyhousedesign.com - 42<br />3 - tumbleweedhouses.com - 34<br />4 - resourcesforlife.com - 31<br />5 - tinyfreehouse.com - 27<br />6 - michaeljanzen.com - 26<br />7 - rowdykittens.com - 25<br />8 - thistinyhouse.com - 22<br />9 - comingunmoored.com - 21<br />10 - smalllivingjournal.com - 21<br />11 - tinyhouseliving.com - 19<br />12 - ninetinyfeet.com - 18<br />13 - wordpress.com - 17<br />14 - paddleways.com - 15<br />15 - storyofstuff.com - 15<br />16 - thetinylife.com - 14<br />17 - tortoiseshellhome.com - 14<br />18 - shedworking.co.uk - 13<br />19 - jaystinyhouse.com - 13<br />20 - smallhousestyle.com - 13<br />21 - tinypallethouse.com - 12<br />22 - tinyhouseforum.com - 12<br />23 - diyfreedom.com - 11<br />24 - flickr.com - 11<br />25 - tinyhousejournal.com - 11<br />26 - apartmenttherapy.com - 11<br />27 - tinytexashouses.com - 11<br />28 - littlediggs.com - 11<br />29 - tinyhousevillage.com - 11<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> 30 - mobilecottage.blogspot.com - 11</span><br />31 - togetherweareone.com - 10<br />32 - rosschapin.com - 10<br />33 - thegreenestdollar.com - 9<br />34 - theyonderosa.blogspot.com - 9<br />35 - energystar.gov - 9<br />36 - greenaerie.blogspot.com - 8<br />37 - livinglargeinourlittlehouse.com - 8<br />38 - otherpower.com - 8<br />39 - relaxshax.wordpress.com - 8<br />40 - zenhabits.net - 8<br />41 - microcompacthome.com - 8<br />42 - lodge-on-wheels.com - 8<br />43 - kithaus.com - 8<br />44 - relaxshacks.com - 8<br />45 - smallhousesociety.org - 8<br />46 - sustain.ca - 8<br />47 - martinhousetogo.com - 8<br />48 - notsobighouse.com - 8<br />49 - tinyhousetalk.com - 7<br />50 - juliajanzen.com - 7<br />51 - weehouse.com - 7<br />52 - inhabitat.com - 7<br />53 - moderncabana.com - 7<br />54 - freecycle.org - 7<br />55 - truckingpilgrim.blogspot.com - 7<br />56 - claytonihouse.com - 7<br />57 - accessahut.wordpress.com - 7<br />58 - dwell.com - 7<br />59 - npr.org - 7<br />60 - time.com - 7<br />61 - cusatocottages.com - 7<br />62 - en.wikipedia.org - 6<br />63 - sonomashanty.com - 6<br />64 - tinyhouses.net - 6<br />65 - kmswoodworks.wordpress.com - 6<br />66 - portlandalternativedwellings.com - 6<br />67 - claytonhomes.com - 6<br />68 - littlehouseonasmallplanet.com - 6<br />69 - projectrollingfreedom.wordpress.com - 6<br />70 - jenkinspublishing.com - 6<br />71 - realestatejournal.com - 6<br />72 - buildingwithawareness.com - 5<br />73 - projectrollingfreedom.com - 5<br />74 - felinedesigninc.com - 5<br />75 - small-house-building.com - 5<br />76 - lloydkahn-ongoing.blogspot.com - 5<br />77 - ultimatemoneyblog.com - 5<br />78 - metaphysics-for-life.com - 5<br />79 - ebay.com - 5<br />80 - josephkenyon.com - 5<br />81 - rocioromero.com - 5<br />82 - off-grid.se - 5<br />83 - cobcottage.com - 5<br />84 - contests.apartmenttherapy.com - 4<br />85 - coyotecottage.com - 4<br />86 - cottagecompany.com - 4<br />87 - bluhomes.com - 4<br />88 - slowingdown.wordpress.com - 4<br />89 - ted.com - 4<br />90 - thescraphouse.wordpress.com - 4<br />91 - powellriverbooks.blogspot.com - 4<br />92 - edavies.nildram.co.uk - 4<br />93 - goyurt.com - 4Jeff Hemsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816936399341775250noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286605391588730546.post-38158689431282672012010-05-09T09:45:00.000-07:002010-05-09T10:23:05.080-07:00The next project is the drapes<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/o1Ak94pi32Qr7sZGKXHB2w?feat=blogger"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8n4vJOFNHrk/S-bZMnCc12I/AAAAAAAACgc/1TsIxVay5zo/s200/interior%20painted%2001.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></div><br />Now that I've painted, I've figured out what I want to do for drapes. I was looking for a woven material so we'd let in lots of air and light. At night we can close the honeycomb blinds for added privacy and darkness.<br /><br />What we have hanging now is liner material, like bleached muslin, scavenged from some old drapes. Yesterday I bought off-white burlap for the drapes and oatmeal colored linen-like ribbon to be used along the sides and bottom (to give a bit more contrast from the walls). I might also add a couple of 1.25" diameter simple, wooden buttons to each window so we can hold the new drapes open.<br /><br />I need to sew along the cut edges of the fabric to prevent it from unraveling then it'll go into the washing machine until it's softer. I'm told to expect a little shrinking too. I'm curious to see what it comes out like because I haven't worked with burlap before. The price was worth gambling on though. I paid $10.50 for 9 yards of fabric (on sale) which should be enough for all of the windows.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/EhoeGn6ZesCZep_T0_Qnhg?feat=blogger"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_8n4vJOFNHrk/S-bZvTMrxEI/AAAAAAAACgg/rdrkTrT6nUk/s200/drapery-materials%2002.jpg" alt="" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0pt; clear: both; float: left;" border="0" /></a>Arlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660999767029085039noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286605391588730546.post-10184509521042865132010-05-08T13:20:00.000-07:002010-05-08T13:27:56.275-07:00An update on the gardenThe first cycle of everything has been planted and is sprouting like crazy. In my quest to see if I can grow all of my own food, I ended up planting:<br /><br />peas<br />cucumbers<br />string beans<br />melons<br />squash<br />soybeans<br />micro greens<br />beets<br />carrots<br />bell peppers<br />poblano chiles<br />fractal-like cauliflower<br />2 different lettuces<br />4 different heirloom tomatoes<br />cilantro<br />basil<br />scallions <br />some edible flowers as well as <br />rosemary<br />lavender<br />peonies<br />lily of the valley<br />hollyhock <br />and wildflowers to bring bees and hummingbirds.<br /><br />These pictures were taken on May 1st. <br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ko-njM4GeBu2cgWBqTHapA?feat=blogger"><img border="0" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_8n4vJOFNHrk/S-XCVkk64OI/AAAAAAAACf4/HTcckpuTeiI/s200/May1%2C2010%20garden%20overall.jpg"></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/omr92jXEUY9OWj607jGK7w?feat=blogger"><img border="0" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8n4vJOFNHrk/S-XCW-zIL9I/AAAAAAAACf8/W9L50Wbk0kA/s200/May1%2C2010%20harvest.jpg"></a>Arlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660999767029085039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286605391588730546.post-5439970852729638472010-04-26T19:45:00.000-07:002010-04-26T19:45:05.839-07:00An update on the interiorI really want a cottage feel to our interior so I painted it a creamy white (Freshaire Choice non-VOC, 'Poetic Light').<br /><br />I like the effect of the lights at night bouncing off the walls and ceiling, and even on a grey day, it's much brighter inside even without the lights on.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DbppnijhLVPRh_LSPwq0cg?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_8n4vJOFNHrk/S9ZCnW8sJ0I/AAAAAAAACbw/R0kiFUedlp0/s144/house%20painting%20005.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JAOlnSqRUVZ5vlw9LHs3IQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_8n4vJOFNHrk/S9ZCob46NKI/AAAAAAAACcY/QvuRVNmBqyY/s144/house%20painting%20012.jpg" /></a>Arlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660999767029085039noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286605391588730546.post-24249392520080330212010-02-01T13:00:00.000-08:002010-02-01T13:00:00.923-08:00Garden Plans<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPnr5U_xVCqSo_7hFCSrDStycmrvY3TV8R7Wwb7Jw_qJ7fuv9ErrodWhwWv8jRvDD1LcgwZ4ocmoeUUcE-NgSJttGQLOIdy6-9SaNkDq5aN24UlXNTJprkjIepeaGytPEd938IhC9eSVo/s1600-h/sunrise+fish+terminal+seattle+001.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPnr5U_xVCqSo_7hFCSrDStycmrvY3TV8R7Wwb7Jw_qJ7fuv9ErrodWhwWv8jRvDD1LcgwZ4ocmoeUUcE-NgSJttGQLOIdy6-9SaNkDq5aN24UlXNTJprkjIepeaGytPEd938IhC9eSVo/s200/sunrise+fish+terminal+seattle+001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433372317129940994" /></a><br />I can tell that it's almost gardening time here in Seattle because, as Jeff and I take evening walks around our neighborhood, we see that people have been weeding their raised bed gardens. I've just ordered my seeds hoping that I'm not starting too late.<br /><br />I spoke with our host family the other day asking what plans they have for their backyard garden this year. They said that it's completely mine to use since they expect to be too busy to work it. This is rather exciting news!... though it's also been a bit overwhelming because this will be my first real gardening project so I've needed to do lots of research. <br /><br />Years ago I had a raised bed garden in California that measured 3'x6'. Sure I thought it went pretty well but I had simply bought some plants, placed them in the dirt, watered them and luckily they grew. This time I'll have an in-ground garden measuring 10'x24' to work with. Besides the increase in space, two major changes will be that I plan on preparing the soil before planting and will be starting with seeds as much as possible instead of just buying plants.<br /><br />The two gardening books that I'll be using for reference are:<br /><br />area specific: Maritime Northwest Garden Guide <br />by the Seattle Tilth which gives a month by guide as to what needs to be done in the garden and <br /><br />production specific: The Postage Stamp Garden Book <br />by Duane Newcomb which addresses the issues of both organic and continual harvest gardening<br /><br />I want a garden because gardening seems like a great way to get fresh, organic produce while also getting some exercise. I'm also curious if I can really lower my food bill, break even, or will spend even more by trying to garden year round. It's been difficult to decide what to plant. <br /><br />I've chosen some of these vegetables because they're expensive to buy. For example, I enjoy eating heirloom tomatoes and red bell peppers, but since they aren't offered at prices that I enjoy paying, I usually pass them by for less expensive versions. I want to make sure that I'm getting my money's worth from the hard work that I'll be doing. <br /><br />I've also chosen some of them because they're odd so it seems like they'd be fun to grow. Like the golf ball sized carrots, zucchini that are also small and round, the melon with the dark blue/green skin and some edible flowers.<br /><br />If I find that I'm actually good at gardening then whatever we don't eat, or share with our host family, I'd like to sell at the local farmers market. I've also heard that several of the nearby neighbors always have gardens so I hope to get the chance to meet them, share gardening experiences, and to trade produce.<br /><br />I've ordered more seeds than I think I'll need to give me extras to use in case of problems. I figure that the worst that can happen is that I'll either trade my extras or I'll have some leftovers for next year.<br /><br />The vegetables and edible flowers that I've chosen are:<br /><br />- beets <br />- carrots (golf ball shaped)<br />- microgreen mix<br />- cilantro<br />- mesclun (early lettuce)<br />- mache (lettuce)<br />- red bell peppers (bite sized)<br />- zucchini (ball shaped)<br />- heirloom tomatoes (4 types, 1 plant each)<br />- melon (a hybrid w/ dark skin weighing only 2 lbs each)<br />- soybeans <br />- borage (edible leaves and blue flowers)<br />- cucumbers <br />- peas (for Zoe!)<br />- nasturtium (edible leaves and flowers)<br />- pole green beans<br /><br />In the coming months I'll be giving you updates and photos explaining what I've done and will also report monthly whether my gardening efforts have lowered my purchased food expenses. <br /><br />At the end of the year <br />- I'll show the total that I spent setting up my first garden <br />- vs how much I would have spent if I'd purchased what I'd grown <br />- vs how much I'd been spending for food before gardening <br /><br />If you have any gardening tips then please write me a comment... <br />especially if you're an experienced gardener living in the Seattle area. Thanks!Arlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660999767029085039noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286605391588730546.post-55495204014135628982010-01-24T19:30:00.000-08:002010-01-24T19:30:00.099-08:00Eat Simpler, Save Money 3<span style="font-weight: bold;">My menu plan...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I eat for breakfast:</span><br /><br />1/2c uncooked old fashioned oatmeal **<br />1/2 to 3/4 of an apple, chopped<br />3 raw walnuts, broken into bits<br />4 raw almonds<br />1/8c raisins<br />tsp raw honey<br />tsp raw sunflower seeds<br />2tbs ground flax seeds<br />8oz yogurt or soy/nut/rice/oat milk<br /><br />** I eat the oatmeal raw; I like the taste and texture just fine this way. Feel free to cook yours if you'd like. Sometimes I change the recipe by exchanging the raw oatmeal with 1/2c steel cut Irish oatmeal. Soak the steel cut oats overnight in water (pour off any excess liquid before eating) and you won't need to buy the yogurt or 'milk'. Other times I exchange the chopped apple for sliced banana.<br /><br />I reuse small ziplock baggies that I fill once a week with my dry breakfast mixture. On a weekday morning I simply put some chopped apple in a bowl, sprinkle my dry mixture over the top, add the yogurt or fake milk, mix, then drizzle some honey on top.<br /><br />Using raw, old fashioned oatmeal reminds me of cold cereal with milk. If I use the soaked raw steel cut oats then it has a coarser texture reminding me of slow cooked oatmeal. I eat these at room temperature but you could gently warm the soaked steel cut oats in the microwave then add the dry mixture, apple and honey. You could also choose to cook the old fashioned oats then stir in your favorite ingredients. Jeff doesn't like honey so instead he adds some real maple syrup to his.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">For snacks:</span><br /><br />* apple slices with nut butter<br />or<br />* orange with a palm full of mixed raw nuts<br />or<br />* banana sliced and mixed in a bowl with sunflower seeds and raisins<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">For lunch:</span><br /><br />A huge salad with lots of different fresh vegetables, sliced avocado, nuts, seeds, raisins, some chopped apple, sprouts of any kind, a tbs of cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, and a sprinkle of some nutritional yeast flakes on top for some added flavor. Sometimes I add some soaked, raw lentils too. Get creative and you'll never be bored with salad.<br /><br />For those of you who cook, you could eat salad for lunch and cook the vegetables in a stir fry or make a soup from them for dinner.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">For dinner:</span><br /><br />A green smoothie. I vary what I put in it depending on what I've bought that week. One week will include some broccoli, kale, apple, celery and carrot blended with water and the next week will be completely different. Google 'green smoothie recipe' and you'll find lots of variations.<br /><br />Occasionally I actually take the time to make a recipe instead of simply eating a salad. My favorite raw recipes (surprisingly good and fun like a little science experiment) can be found in:<br /><br />- The Complete Book of Raw Food by Julie Rodwell (if you buy only one 'raw' book, get this one)<br /><br />- The Raw Food Gourmet by Gabrielle Chavez<br /><br />Get creative and have a little fun with your food! There's no end to the way you could use the items on my food list while keeping meals quick, simple, tasty and inexpensive.Arlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660999767029085039noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286605391588730546.post-20403807495560564572010-01-24T19:00:00.000-08:002010-01-24T18:54:43.893-08:00Eat Simpler, Save Money 2On my blog entry titled "Eat Simpler, Save Money" I listed a sample of my monthly food shopping list. I explained how I eat healthy, home prepared meals and feel very satisfied while spending only about $4.50 a day per person.<br /><br />To spend that amount, I changed the way that I interacted about food. I now eat only when I'm hungry and I stop eating before I'm full. I never feel hunger pangs or a drop in energy level because I eat 4 to 6 small meals instead of the traditional 3 large ones. I also carry a snack with me everywhere so that I don't spend unnecessarily on unhealthy, expensive impulse buys when I feel the need for a snack.<br /><br />Most people don't want to eat like I do and I'm definitely not trying to convince anyone to change. Grant left a question under the comment section of my previous "Eat Simpler" blog entry this past week. He asked what sorts of dishes I prepare using the very simple ingredients listed, so I'm posting the answer as a new entry.<br /><br />Like many other people here in the U.S., I was raised eating mostly processed foods, when I moved out of my parent's home I almost always ate out because I didn't know how to cook well (I took shop classes in school instead of home economics), then I learned how to cook but found that I didn't enjoy spending time in the kitchen. Now I'm mostly a raw vegan. About once a month I'll eat out and have some sashimi (raw fish). Sometimes I'll eat something with dairy or a bit of chocolate but will pay the price later because these are two foods that give me nasty allergic reactions.<br /><br />I've been trying my best to eat raw vegan for about 2 years because of my food allergies. Since this change in eating, I enjoy spending less time in the kitchen, I feel more energetic, my skin is clearer, my allergies have disappeared, and surprisingly I also lost weight and am now at 120 lbs (just 5 lbs above my high school weight - finally losing 20 pounds of pregnancy weight that I gained 17 years ago).<br /><br />The taste of a ripe piece of fruit, or a salad with everything in it (instead of just iceberg lettuce and some tomato smothered with pre-made dressing), became absolutely amazing once I stopped eating processed foods! <br /><br />For the answer to Grant's question about what I do with the food I buy see my next post, "Eat Simpler, Save Money 3".Arlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660999767029085039noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286605391588730546.post-16428124326509782402010-01-10T11:18:00.000-08:002010-01-10T11:18:00.976-08:00"So... how is living in the tiny house going?"Our friends occasionally ask us, as if they expect the worst, "So... how is living in the tiny house going?"<br /><br />The two of us have a total of about 120 sq feet of living space, not including the sleeping loft. The space is mostly open so when we are both here, the only way to get away from the other is to go for a walk, or use the restroom for a while. And yet, living in this small space doesn't seem to be causing us the friction that everyone expects.<br /><br />So, just for fun, we thought we would address this issue in a post written by both of us.<br /><br />Arlene: Last year I said that I wanted to drastically downsize so that we could get our living expenses as low as absolutely possible while Jeff is in school so I'd suggested that we get a studio apartment while in Seattle (I'd not yet heard of tiny houses).<br /><br />Jeff: I said I couldn't live in a space that small.<br /><br />Arlene: Yet we live in a space less than a third of that size now. I think that part of the draw to living in our tiny cottage is that we built it. It truly is a custom home that serves our needs so it doesn't feel small.<br /><br />Jeff: We've joked for years that we do a 'kitchen dance'.<br /><br />Arlene: This term describes what we've always done in the galley-style kitchens (long and thin with counters on both sides) in the places we've lived together. I'm at the sink.<br /><br />Jeff: I'm at the stove.<br /><br />Arlene: Then we change sides as he comes to get a plate from the cabinet while I put something into the frig.<br /><br />Jeff: Then back again.<br /><br />Arlene: But we never bump into each other. Now we laugh because it can feel like the 'kitchen dance' extends the length of the cottage sometimes. I imagine that couples who live on boats about our size have the same experience at times too.<br /><br />Though we laugh at this 'dance', I don't feel stuffed into too small a space and this in no way feels like simply a 'crash pad' either. I have room for stretching out on the settee to read or watch the birds at the feeder outside the window and also have a space to sit and create artwork. We have had a couple of friends over at a time for social engagements and we both get out quite a bit to see performances, travel, attend club meetings and such.<br /><br />Jeff: Spending less money on rent and utilities means more money available to do things that we enjoy. The tiny house fits our lifestyle and our values. "So... how is living in the tiny house going?"<br /><br />So far, so good!Jeff Hemsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816936399341775250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286605391588730546.post-62500928620745914872009-12-30T08:03:00.000-08:002009-12-30T08:07:04.347-08:00About the heat...Hi everyone,<br />Our last post about heat, or lack of, got a lot of comments. I started to write a reply comment, but decided to just make it a post. All of the suggestions we received were pretty good, but...<br /><br />We weigh 7600lbs on a 7000 trailer, so things that add weight are pretty much out. Also, while we love our location, it isn't necessarily permanent, so a trombe wall is out.<br /><br />Our tiny house is pretty well sealed up. This is good. It means we don't have drafts. And that means we stay warmer. But it also means that using a wood stove would be a problem. Wood stoves suck air for combustion from there surrounding area. In a house with a bit of a draft and a lot of volume this is ok. In a well sealed tiny house, believe it or not, the stove would draw the oxygen out of your breathable air faster than new air would come in. So, you'd have to keep a window open when using it. And that might not be bad, but it might offset some of the gains of using it. A wood stove is also heavy and requires a lot of space around it. I'm not knocking wood stoves. I love them. But in this kind of small mobile space keep the trade offs in mind before installing one.<br /><br />Refrigerators are another example of a small space fighting to hold its temperature against a larger space. Eventually, if the refrig is unplugged, the inside temperature will match the outside temperature. So you have to run the compressor to maintain the temperature. And we have to run our little heater to maintain our warmth. And actually, with our little stove we can get it up to 65 to 70 degrees, so it is ok. We just have to run it more than we thought.<br /><br />I think one of the things Arlene wants to communicate is that if you are thinking of building a tiny house, be aware that it might not hold onto the heat as well as you might think. You do have to run the heater. Yeah, you could add more insulation, just be aware of what that might mean in terms of cost and weight and such. If you are in a very cold area, it is probably worth it to add a bit more insulation than we have. But up here we only have a few months of cold a year, and it isn't as cold as, say, Minnesota or Calgary.<br /><br />In terms of heating, since September we have gone through one 5 gallon bottle of propane and are on the second. I figure that isn't too bad.Jeff Hemsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816936399341775250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286605391588730546.post-74711734597147753992009-12-26T08:30:00.000-08:002009-12-26T08:30:00.731-08:00Heating a tiny houseWell, we followed the suggestions as to what insulation to use to build our tiny cottage (2" thick rigid foam planks sealed around the edges with expanding soy foam). But because of the ratio of exterior walls to interior volume, and that we have no air pockets like a heated hallway or closets, we are chillier than I had expected us to be.<br /><br />I think because it's a very tiny home that takes less energy to heat, I expected it to be toasty inside all of the time. Oh, not so...<br /><br />On average, we run a 20 to 25 degree difference compared the outside temperature without running the heat, or summertime fan, during normal working hours. (If we never turned on the heat at all this would not be the case.) It turns out that we're cooler in the heat of summer yes. But also cooler in the cold of winter.<br /><br />There had been an unusually cold day (29F degrees) last month but then it quickly warmed up again. We were comfortable that night so I thought that if the cold weather lasted longer that we'd stay comfortable enough. This past week/current week the high was/is supposed to hover at 32F and the low will be about 22F. This has meant a steady cold and it's been much trickier to stay warm.<br /><br />Last night we'd had the Newport 900 boat heater on for about 4 hours. At 9pm, the outside temperature was 33F, the inside was 67F with the interior humidity at 48%. This morning at 5am outside was 24F, inside was 52F, and (since we don't keep the dehumidifier on at night) the humidity was 59% . Not as toasty as I'd like to be inside. We were used to turning the heat on very infrequently before moving into the cottage, and we'd simply wear a sweater and slippers at home. In this place, we use more fuel to heat the place and we wear an extra sweater. (We've become quicker at getting dressed first thing in the morning too!) If producing less of a carbon footprint is the reason you want to live in a tiny house, you'll have to figure out how to use less fuel for heating even if this is less expansive than heating a larger space. Insulation is the key; I have no definitive answer as to what to use yet though.<br /><br />We have winterized, and will continue to do more as we think of what else can be done. We know the following information for sure because (tech geek that he is) Jeff bought two scientific temperature rods that he hooks directly up to his laptop for digital readings:<br /><br />In early November we started by buying honeycomb shades to better insulate our windows and they keep the inside warmer by 6 degrees. Yes, we bought Low E double pane windows and installed them properly. We have 10 windows plus one skylight.<br /><br />The industrial felt floor cover feels warmer to the touch than the wood floor, but we've tested it against the wood floor and it doesn't help the inside temperature at all.<br /><br />I have stuffed dense foam into the 'attic fan' vent louvers and the bathroom exhaust fan outside as well as stuffed the skylight area.<br /><br />We bought a dehumidifier because we started to get condensation on the window interiors and we don't want mold to form. Before we had the gauge to measure the humidity, the first 36 hours the machine was on we filled the 12 pint reservoir. Since then we leave it on from 5am until about 8pm and it takes two weeks to fill. We now hover between 49% and 60% humidity (gotta breathe but we don't cook at home and we shower at the gym or indoor pool each morning after we workout). We like how the dehumidifier evens out the temperature in the cottage by blowing cooler air up so that the heated air is forced downward. We sit downstairs and want it warmer until we go upstairs to sleep. The sleeping loft area gets heated fairly quickly by the two of us breathing since it's about the size of a two person tent.<br /><br />We bought a heated water hose from http://nofreezewaterhose.com and it works exactly as advertised.<br /><br />We've thought about insulating drapes but have decided to wait on those. I need to do more research.<br /><br />If we were to build another tiny home, or to make some suggestions, it would be:<br /><br /><ul><li> Buy more heating power than you think it will take if you live in a place that gets cold. (Will a radiant heated floor work in a tiny mobile cottage? I don't know.)</li><li>Either buy a different type of insulation or beef up the 2" thick panels because it doesn't retain heat well since these structures are all exterior walls.</li><li> I don't know if having a full loft, rather than a partial loft, would keep it warmer downstairs in the winter. It might, but it might also be much hotter upstairs in the summer. We like the air circulation and light. The high ceiling in the living area makes it feel larger so I'm not sure we'd change this design.</li><li>Jeff suggests fewer windows.</li></ul><br />We hope that you're staying warm this time of year.<br /><br />Until Spring we'll be posting to this blog only once a month. Currently we're fine tuning the cottage to make it more comfortable so there's not much to post. As it warms up here though, we'd like to settle in a bit more by building a small deck and planting a vegetable garden.<br /><br />Happy Holidays and have a very Happy New Year!Arlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01660999767029085039noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286605391588730546.post-11320791970679043192009-11-01T16:20:00.000-08:002009-11-01T16:29:38.562-08:00Cold FeetIt's been interesting living in our tiny cottage since the beginning of September because we've experienced temperatures between 95F and 29F.<br /><br />Recently it's been getting cooler so our wood floors have felt uncomfortably cold to me. I tried wearing a couple of pairs of socks to keep my feet warmer but that didn't seem to help. I bought slippers to wear over a pair of socks but that didn't seem to help either.<br /><br />So I went sneaking off to look for other solutions. I say sneaking because Jeff and I agreed when we first started construction on our cottage that since we love the look of wood floors, we would not to carpet it. Rugs cover the beauty and we also didn't want off-gassing materials in the cottage.<br /><br />I figured that if I bought an area rug, that we could still see the wood grain around the rug so I wouldn't be actually going against what we'd agreed upon, right? Since I'm the type that prefers to ask for forgiveness, rather than to ask for permission, I snuck off to find a solution that would appeal to both of us.<br /><br />In our relationship, I have found that when I look at something (like our 'new' used settee) that I can imagine what the end result can look like but I'm not always good at explaining my vision to others. I bought the settee knowing that if Jeff'd been with me that he'd have thought it was too ugly and could never look any better. I could see it's potential though, and we really needed something to sit on, so I went for it. Since it's been recovered and restyled he really likes it. I figured I would try this with a rug...<br /><br />I looked at both new and used options. I figured that a used rug had off-gassed already so that was what I searched for first. I looked in the better furniture consignment places near us but found nothing in our size or color so I went to four big box stores that carry area rugs then to rug warehouses... and found something that I had never thought of as a solution.<br /><br />My needs were:<br />natural fiber<br />no off-gassing<br />fairly inexpensive<br />visually appealing (or at least not too bad to live with for the cold months)<br />insulating<br />warm to the touch<br /><br />My final choice was industrial wool felt. It's 1/2" thick, light grey, has no scent, is soft and warm underfoot. At only $1US/sf I was able to cover the living room and kitchen floors for about $60. I found it at a carpet remnant warehouse but any carpeting store will have it. They sell it as carpet padding.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiijOpU6mLh0VTqwfpSfdo3W711YNDa47aUAHxdo_7W2jCzm2P3YUOJGbDMPifU9-tSWMkUldSaTC8k20zvJVUp2CTA_OjqGdhvxsB-8QBilyInnVc1OFbUx0ZScb86tOdFB-3creR3rOk/s1600-h/cabinet-wool-felt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiijOpU6mLh0VTqwfpSfdo3W711YNDa47aUAHxdo_7W2jCzm2P3YUOJGbDMPifU9-tSWMkUldSaTC8k20zvJVUp2CTA_OjqGdhvxsB-8QBilyInnVc1OFbUx0ZScb86tOdFB-3creR3rOk/s200/cabinet-wool-felt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399208711260961762" border="0" /></a><br />I explained to Jeff what I wanted to do after the purchase. He saw it rolled and wrapped (and didn't look excited about it) and said he'd be willing to give it a try. When he came home the evening that I had installed it, he stood at the front door and said that it looked a lot better then he'd thought it could. He stepped onto it and liked that it was warm and soft too. It has received a thumbs up so far.<br /><br />I'm not sure yet how it will wear underfoot but we have had a no-shoes-inside policy (to preserve the soft douglas fir flooring and now to keep the felt clean) and I have put what look like tacks covered with teflon under the legs of the chairs so they glide across the felt. The felt may be a great solution.<br /><br />It's been only a few days so far, it's been about 30F to 50F, but it seems to be noticeably warmer feeling inside the cottage to both of us. I'll let you know in a month or two if it really is the solution to the cold feet problem...Arlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09382878664572032785noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286605391588730546.post-3771900612915892632009-10-26T13:00:00.000-07:002009-10-26T13:00:02.556-07:00Progress Update - Oct 25In the last couple of weeks I have definitely been busy... although, at times, I have strayed from original to do list.<br /><br />I have:<br /><ul><li>finished the paneling and trim around the interior of the front door<br /></li></ul><ul><li><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7HGIdrtcWtMacWrtprs-KD0hXc8oCGGtM6bpyBBF7BxJ-IViASF8hFaOPErlUpqQUEZ3Guz-XjDEn-spZEsVAZ9l8V66ECx1kZvjDerRTASc2pDgUMxC1v-QjNrxyOodVMnahCgYZak8/s1600-h/front-door-trim1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7HGIdrtcWtMacWrtprs-KD0hXc8oCGGtM6bpyBBF7BxJ-IViASF8hFaOPErlUpqQUEZ3Guz-XjDEn-spZEsVAZ9l8V66ECx1kZvjDerRTASc2pDgUMxC1v-QjNrxyOodVMnahCgYZak8/s200/front-door-trim1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396961856773796770" border="0" /></a>completed attaching the paneling on the new bi-fold bathroom door</li></ul><ul><li><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_CyocGIFOPrZTuhW-RGJpZbFZ3iaFc21gt1xSM9-oQUo0Z0-GNp3Hyh2pTBHpYCzq6ZeyBENURCBemijbwpQVUw7NYsCW6oAAxcw6SWyyfydGBtBtqo0ob4dsy41vjgrFlDT4ZpR2tM/s1600-h/bathroom-door-paneled.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_CyocGIFOPrZTuhW-RGJpZbFZ3iaFc21gt1xSM9-oQUo0Z0-GNp3Hyh2pTBHpYCzq6ZeyBENURCBemijbwpQVUw7NYsCW6oAAxcw6SWyyfydGBtBtqo0ob4dsy41vjgrFlDT4ZpR2tM/s200/bathroom-door-paneled.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396962264943095186" border="0" /></a>installed a shelf above both kitchen windows</li></ul><div style="text-align: left;"><ul><li><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgScZZeBgXhyphenhyphenH756rjf7CdhUt1JAp-77CDnPq4Gj2-e_mfIlJxBoC-Z1uj4X1FEZficSIWXVi4podsiRvq7zvo_wpWoyGwJRFPG0O5qzU_stS7xRORb3GjJtx46wohnTstqbwvroCgCW3M/s1600-h/stovetop2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgScZZeBgXhyphenhyphenH756rjf7CdhUt1JAp-77CDnPq4Gj2-e_mfIlJxBoC-Z1uj4X1FEZficSIWXVi4podsiRvq7zvo_wpWoyGwJRFPG0O5qzU_stS7xRORb3GjJtx46wohnTstqbwvroCgCW3M/s200/stovetop2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396967794831619714" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEjHp8YUgM2Gq-ttvuMx-g9E6i6K1JNu6UtUPfHdmV8KMtEUQ02-o7-v_g1d1rHlvA3Up3qiM1MpYcJgf2R1sj59fHxOnR0i1aK2HQXJbOW4fA7GLNjLA1evUnGPyfU89_meiditJBXg/s1600-h/kitchen-sink2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjEjHp8YUgM2Gq-ttvuMx-g9E6i6K1JNu6UtUPfHdmV8KMtEUQ02-o7-v_g1d1rHlvA3Up3qiM1MpYcJgf2R1sj59fHxOnR0i1aK2HQXJbOW4fA7GLNjLA1evUnGPyfU89_meiditJBXg/s200/kitchen-sink2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396975829219890194" border="0" /></a>found, bought, refinished and reupholstered an antique settee (since the big toolbox wasn't really comfortable to sit on)</li></ul><ul><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQi5nR3Mwo7Ve87NU4OtQu1d93OuFVnlm2-Vymb4udfICbzMwUFvg6r9xWD9XnVWcLgDySWP44IqkNVg4XQB7q_av_56VJPVHTD-Q1s-tX-yx8EYuCn7BdR_wy120zTKoKx81FIUrlG4M/s1600-h/setee-old1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQi5nR3Mwo7Ve87NU4OtQu1d93OuFVnlm2-Vymb4udfICbzMwUFvg6r9xWD9XnVWcLgDySWP44IqkNVg4XQB7q_av_56VJPVHTD-Q1s-tX-yx8EYuCn7BdR_wy120zTKoKx81FIUrlG4M/s200/setee-old1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396966367139733106" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAdtoB98pDsjp3nsLgc7g_Eok-CF5N2NbmeQ63VtU3Gd0JUGI7APkYxa0QDBLmZ83U4jfYEcS1MBytiEq6pyoF6l0crbIt2Uv_SsOr7Cmk8dVYTvMKE-UWxHMvqtYtvz3o847GaUTk-po/s1600-h/setee-new-closeup.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAdtoB98pDsjp3nsLgc7g_Eok-CF5N2NbmeQ63VtU3Gd0JUGI7APkYxa0QDBLmZ83U4jfYEcS1MBytiEq6pyoF6l0crbIt2Uv_SsOr7Cmk8dVYTvMKE-UWxHMvqtYtvz3o847GaUTk-po/s200/setee-new-closeup.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396966670362201746" border="0" /></a><br /><li>made a trailer skirt out of old ikea shelf supports and leftover exterior redwood siding</li></ul><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9uFoxKsu2kTSDsZ_PPehg2vOEoX303RhzXGtFy_8FzcM6AjXX3IPlIX3jXktdFgJK0fC9LWrG4NRDEzxNqpLdwtwFfAobXDxZycK5JjTEBRb98LKYEchYvEkwl_FBbqEhFx6VnYGyGXg/s1600-h/skirt-added.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9uFoxKsu2kTSDsZ_PPehg2vOEoX303RhzXGtFy_8FzcM6AjXX3IPlIX3jXktdFgJK0fC9LWrG4NRDEzxNqpLdwtwFfAobXDxZycK5JjTEBRb98LKYEchYvEkwl_FBbqEhFx6VnYGyGXg/s200/skirt-added.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396965301121376946" border="0" /></a><ul><li>bought a few outdoor bushes and a (very) small fern for inside</li></ul><ul><li><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTmFiTZl1inMOg3qKkuKoOUjLu0uUG6aN9wwHRxobkhdH_Zl2YKzBu7YbM161YICptyWy-_U_9yH20Te-ljnrL6u42epmz68ecaz4sDzWNaik_TLtPgCt7caZljSYEmgMP1TAcZnc3AO4/s1600-h/desk-area-detail.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTmFiTZl1inMOg3qKkuKoOUjLu0uUG6aN9wwHRxobkhdH_Zl2YKzBu7YbM161YICptyWy-_U_9yH20Te-ljnrL6u42epmz68ecaz4sDzWNaik_TLtPgCt7caZljSYEmgMP1TAcZnc3AO4/s200/desk-area-detail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396981408914682578" border="0" /></a>and we finally hooked up the propane since it's been getting colder recently. (For more new interior pictures, click the link that says 'More build pics are here' at the top left of our blog.)</li></ul>This week, if the rain will give me a break, I'll finish the porch. I have a couple of more floor boards to add as well as a plaque that I made. On a rainy day, I will fix up an old trunk for storage under the settee. I also plan to add the rest of the interior trim and putty the nail holes so that I can paint the cottage interior the second weekend of November.<br /><br />Currently, when you walk into our cottage ALL you see is wood, which is nice, but we agreed that we'd like a bit more visual contrast. Besides, the rainy season has begun so we'll have a few months of grey days. We'd like it to feel brighter when inside even if it's grey outside. The skylight has been helpful, but grey is grey. I have a no-VOC paint (Freshaire Choice). The ceiling will be 'distant star' and the walls will be 'poetic light'. Both are a creamy white with the ceiling a couple of shades lighter than the walls which, I have read, is supposed to make the ceiling feel higher. Even though it's simply visual 'space', I'll give it a try.<br /><br />Since I'm winding down on the bigger things that need to get finished in order to feel more settled in our new home in a new city, this coming week I'll be making more of effort to find a job. I get quite antsy if I have nothing to do and I have been losing track of days since I don't have an office to go to. I've been working 7 days a week on finishing up the house so there hasn't been a difference between Wednesday or Saturday. I'm really ready to go back to work...<br /></div>Arlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09382878664572032785noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286605391588730546.post-39577939888481114152009-10-08T20:00:00.000-07:002009-10-08T20:00:00.591-07:00Done... and yet to do.We have been working on finishing up the outside of the cottage before the rainy season begins as well as making the inside a bit nicer looking and more comfortable.<br /><br />After arriving in Seattle, Jeff leveled the trailer and had the cold water working in the kitchen sink by day two. The pex piping had been installed and tested for leaks before the interior walls went up but the faucets & shower head hadn't been attached. While finishing up the water he decided to add a few shut off valves into the system so it looked like a tornado had come through. The sink/counter top/cabinet was uninstalled and sat in the middle of the living room and the wall was off a closet area so he had access to the shower faucet hookup.<br /><br />The hot water heater has been installed for a long time but we lost the power cord at some point so we've ordered a replacement. The base to the shower hasn't yet been installed so since our arrival we have been members of the local pool so we have access to the pool, hot tub and hot showers daily. Our home shower will be working within a couple of weekends. I enjoy my time at the pool and Jeff has started to use the pool at the UW on weekdays so we haven't been in a rush to do this task.<br /><br />Last Sunday we finished the trim and siding outside the front door so the exterior has now been completely sealed. On Monday it rained. I still need to add the edge boards to the porch, and to seal the ones that are there, but I'll have to wait until we have a few dry days again before I can tackle that task.<br /><br />Next I worked on mortising the hinges on the new cabinet doors. This task took me a bit of guesswork, crossed fingers and tweaking. I hadn't done cabinetry before so it took me four days to install all 7 cabinet doors. We haven't found pulls that we like yet so tape has been the substitute. Mike, the friend who made our cabinets, suggested to simply screw the hinges onto the cabinet fronts since it would have been easier, but the nice ones from Restoration Hardware would have cost us more than we wanted to pay (For hinges?!). I did this task the hard way using $1 hinges instead. I also took down the sheet that had been our bathroom 'door', installed a nice bi-fold wooden one, and attached tongue and groove pine so that the door blends in with the rest of the walls.<br /><br />This coming weekend we'll finish the gas system so that we have heat and can use the stove. So far the cottage has been very good at keeping us comfortable whether it's been 40 degree F or 95 degree F weather. We have either been eating things raw (we love salads anyway) or eating at nearby restaurants so not using the stove has given us a chance to explore the neighborhood.<br /><br />What else will keep me busy as I search for a CAD job here in Seattle? (Any job leads?):<br /><br />- Interior paneling and trim around the front door.<br />- Backsplashes need to be installed on the kitchen counters.<br />- Paint the cottage interior a creamy off white.<br />- Custom light covers need to be made for 4 sconce lights.Arlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09382878664572032785noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286605391588730546.post-75290355965258281532009-10-05T20:00:00.000-07:002009-10-05T20:00:01.781-07:00Downsizing: The saga continues...<o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="State"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal">In a previous post I suggested that each of us who wants to downsize ask ourselves, "If my place were to burn down today, could I live without this item?" I thought that if I didn't need it in daily living that it could easily be purged. I have also explained that in our choice to voluntary simplify that we don't want to feel as if we are punishing ourselves. We want some comfort, not simply the bare necessities, so downsizing turned out to be easier said than done.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Selling things was hard for me. I had my own shop tools because I really enjoy creating sculpture by welding and woodworking. These tools have been in storage for awhile because I had found shared space where someone had these tools for me to use. Now, as I sold my tools I felt as if part of my identity was being ripped away. Will I be able to find another place in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Seattle</st1:place></st1:city> where I can rent shop time like I did before the move? I hoped so and had to believe that I will. I reasoned that I will be able to buy tools again if I ever really need them.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Since Jeff was in the build space all day near the end of construction while in <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">California</st1:place></st1:state>, we moved all of my tools and other odds and ends from my storage unit there. He was very good at talking with people who came to look at the items after I posted them on Craigslist. It was cash only & prices were firm. I probably set the prices lower than they needed to be because we were pressured with a deadline to move to <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Washington</st1:place></st1:state> very shortly. I didn't want to have to bring more things with us to sell later. I was also happy to hand over the sales task to Jeff and not to have to deal with it (the psychological discomfort) any longer.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Jeff's only big items was his mission & leather furniture. When I married him he came with a whole apartment full of well made furniture that could be handed down to another generation or two. We have lived in many apartments and houses over the years and his was the type of furniture that when people came into our space for the first time they'd say, "Wow!". It was comfortable, it was beautiful, it was sturdy. Rick was moving to Albuquirky a few weeks before our move to <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Seattle</st1:place></st1:city> and he said that he wanted to buy it all. Rick got a really great deal, Jeff was pleased to see his collection stay together and that it went to a friend, and this sale saved us from writing ads, etc.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">What we sold: wood/metal shop tools, apartment full of furniture.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The give away was quicker and easier than the sales were (of course). I was short on time but we lived in a large apartment complex so I took a few color pictures, made some flyers and posted them in each of the buildings lobbies early one Saturday. By 5pm all of the items had been removed from my apartment by very happy, nice people. I didn't have to post them on Craigslist or Freecycle or cart them off to Goodwill and I felt as if lightening my load had made me happier as well.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">What we gave away: desk, leather computer chair, collection of masks from around the world, plants, quality queen & twin mattresses, lacquered storage chest, lamps, house wares, antique armoire, dining table, file cabinet, shelves, clothes...<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Not all things went though. </p> <p class="MsoNormal">What we kept: 2 folding leather chairs, 1 wooden chair, tableware and silverware for four, pans, some clothes / shoes... currently we have a large toolbox in our living room with some fabric thrown over it for use as a sofa as well as 3 other boxes of hand tools / building supplies. As construction slows these tools will go into my brother's basement. I also have 4 boxes of fabric that are currently in my mom's house and these will come to our house for storage under a real sofa once I find one that fits our odd requirements (needs to fit in the 22" wide door, needs to be shallow, but can be 7' long). What I'm thinking is 4 to 6 dining chairs attached side by side with some padding on top; a unit that will look like a Swedish settee. I do woodworking, and I can sew, so making something like this (rather than buying something from Ikea) will be easy and is much more appealing to Jeff and me.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">What we bought: a really decent mattress, coir floor mats with rubber underneath them for the foyer because it's going to be wet soon and we need a place to drip while we remove our shoes when we arrive home, a small 'side table' with shoe cubbies below to sit on in the foyer while removing our shoes, 2 wire hanging baskets for fruit to free up the counter tops, screws and other stuff to finish building.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><u><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tip:</span> Give yourself more time to get rid of things than you think it will take.</u> You think it will take 6 months? Give yourself a year. I feel as if I could have recovered some of the money I'd spent on the items if I'd sold them instead of given them away, or sold them at higher prices, but I simply felt rushed to sell them so they went for yard sale prices. Avoid the stress of rushing, and avoid the feeling of losing money off the good work of downsizing, by giving yourself lots of time to get comfortable with the process.</p>Arlenehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09382878664572032785noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286605391588730546.post-10803948852417595482009-09-14T17:05:00.000-07:002009-09-14T18:50:45.715-07:00Made itLast weekend we moved the tiny house from it's location in California to Seattle.<br /><br />He we are at a rest stop along the way. You might notice that the truck's back end is a bit low.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/FOKCsMS6VhJgoORc47edVA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8n4vJOFNHrk/SqlR7agGYoI/AAAAAAAAB5Q/HjcuPiRDYfs/s400/IMG_3586.JPG" /></a><br /><br />We knew our version of the tiny house was heavier than a typical Fencl. In fact, we feared that we were well over 7000lbs. So we took the trailer to a truck stop and paid $9 to have it weighed. We detached it from the truck and had the tongue on one scale and the wheels on the other. By doing this we could see how tongue heavy we were.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2pdj0pAgNuKM2wTx2cGgNQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_8n4vJOFNHrk/SqlR9Vr7ZkI/AAAAAAAAB5Y/m9lYoNKWKIs/s400/IMG_3593.JPG" /></a><br /><br />And we were a bit heavy on the tongue. Depending on the kind of trailer you have, you want the tongue weight to be between 10 and 15 percent of the total weight. So after seeing our report, we took some tools and boxes out of the trailer, put them in the jeep and rearranged what was left (we moved things to the back, near the door, and tied them down) to get less weight on the tongue.<br /><br />Another thing to note is that tiny houses of this kind are tall. As tall as a semi.<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ymjAAS4D6gW50etpvB6w8Q?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_8n4vJOFNHrk/SqlSIGJ5EcI/AAAAAAAAB58/eC9sG96C_As/s400/IMG_6013.JPG" /></a><br /><br />On level ground, from the peak to the ground, we are 13' 4". If you see an over pass that says 13' 4", find another rout. They generally mean it. We didn't have any problems because we took a truck rout to Ballard (the neighborhood in Seattle where we settled).<br /><br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/3zz0KQvzd1LkRnbQPOk_xQ?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8n4vJOFNHrk/Sq7xvVkR3II/AAAAAAAAB-0/6pwP6X7D1HQ/s400/IMG_3675.JPG" /></a><br /><br />So here we are. We still need to put trim on the door, hook up a shower, paint inside and out, along with many other tasks. But we feel like in a way, one adventure has been completed and another is starting.Jeff Hemsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816936399341775250noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6286605391588730546.post-12602080585949521302009-09-01T20:42:00.000-07:002009-09-01T20:45:40.639-07:00UpdateThere is still some work to do on the roof, but it is shaping up...<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/USfzSjtrJx9bqEMw1K7F4A?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_8n4vJOFNHrk/Sp3oiLE27GI/AAAAAAAAB04/N8l_xpqRj90/s400/IMG_3534.JPG" /></a><br /><br />And so is the inside.<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/f91eYFeOuHt1945RTA0IsA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_8n4vJOFNHrk/Sp3oh0SsKLI/AAAAAAAAB0w/ffKZb4PvN2k/s400/IMG_3532.JPG" /></a><br /><br />And here I am hanging out in the trees.<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ZTxM5VYNfsrzaboFrJVObA?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_8n4vJOFNHrk/Sp3ofhQuU8I/AAAAAAAAB0c/w70X1b-dvbo/s400/IMG_3513.JPG" /></a>Jeff Hemsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10816936399341775250noreply@blogger.com2